1:12 I 1 turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, 2 and when I did so, 3 I saw seven golden lampstands,
12:13 Now 7 when the dragon realized 8 that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
1:7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds, 9
and every eye will see him,
even 10 those who pierced him, 11
and all the tribes 12 on the earth will mourn because 13 of him.
This will certainly come to pass! 14 Amen.) 15
19:2 because his judgments are true and just. 24
For he has judged 25 the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,
and has avenged the blood of his servants 26 poured out by her own hands!” 27
20:4 Then 28 I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. 29 I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These 30 had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They 31 came to life 32 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 tn Throughout the translation John’s use of καί (kai) often reflects the varied usage of the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav). A clause which καί introduces has been translated in terms of its semantic relationship to the clause that preceded it. If the καί seemed redundant, however, it was left untranslated; that is the case in this verse.
2 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
3 tn Grk “and turning I saw.” The repetition of ἐπιστρέφω (epistrefw) is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been translated generally.
4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
5 tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).
6 tn Grk “spiritually.”
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.
8 tn Grk “saw.”
10 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13.
11 tn Here καί (kai) was translated as ascensive.
12 sn An allusion to Zech 12:10.
13 tn In this context, tribes (φυλαί, fulai) could also be translated as “nations” or “peoples” (L&N 11.56).
14 tn The conjunction ἐπί (epi) is most likely causal here. The people who crucified him are those of every tribe on the earth and they will mourn because he comes as judge.
15 tn Grk “Yes, Amen.” The expression “This will certainly come to pass” is an attempt to capture the force of the juxtaposition of the Greek ναί (nai) and the Hebrew ἀμήν (amhn). See L&N 69.1.
16 sn These lines are placed in parentheses because they form an aside to the main argument.
13 sn That is, the teaching of Jezebel (v. 20).
14 tn Grk “deep things.” For the translation “deep secrets” see L&N 28.76; cf. NAB, NIV, CEV.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
17 tn The dative indirect object (αὐταῖς, autais) was converted into the subject (“they”) as this more closely approximates English usage. The following ἵ῞να (Jina) is taken as substantival, introducing a direct object clause. In this case, because it is reported speech, the ἵνα is similar to the declarative ὅτι (Joti).
18 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
19 tn The article τῶν (twn) has been translated as a possessive pronoun here (ExSyn 215).
19 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
20 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
22 tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.
23 tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.
24 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
25 tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
26 tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”
27 tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.
28 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
29 tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezhsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”